Rifleman Alec Jay
Army Queen Victoria's Rifles 9th London Regiment
My late father Alec Jay, was a British prisoner of war at Stalag VIIIB. His rank and serial number were as follows: Rifleman Alec Jay, army number 6896204 of the 1st battalion of the 9th London Rgt, Queen Victoria’s Rifles and his POW number was 15129. I have attached a group photo taken in Lamsdorf. My father is the soldier with the moustache on the extreme right as you look at the photo.
He was captured in Calais on 26th May 1940 and was imprisoned at Stalag 344, Lamsdorf from June 1940 to May 1945. He worked in a series of work camps including Groschowitz (Groszowice) from July 1940 to October 1940 on building works, Gumpertsdorf (Komprachcice) from November 1940 to January 1941 on roadworks, Heuerstein, from 25th May 1941 to 3rd June 1941, in a quarry, Setzdorf (Vápenná), from 18th August 1941 to 27 February 1944, in another quarry, Jagerndorf (Strzelniki), from March 1944 to August 1944, on council work, Freudenthal (Bruntál), from August 1944 to September 1944, in a linen factory, and Gurschdorf (Skorošice) from September 1944 to March 1945, a quarry that was also a punishment camp.
He was tortured by the Under Officer in charge of his first working party (Groschowitz/ Groszowice) to find out if he was a Jew. That involved being beaten in the face with a rifle butt, an assault that led to the loss of his teeth. I have used the German names for these places and have put as many Polish or Czech names that I can identify in brackets.
My father told us that he escaped on a number of occasions, typically from working parties and although he did not achieve a 'home run', he was on the run on VE day having fought in the liberation of Prague alongside Czech partisans. At one point, after being recaptured, a German guard ordered him to 'dig his own grave' at the point of a gun and then when he had dug the hole told him to fill it in again.
If anyone has any information that might relate to my late father, I would be most keen to learn of it.
